Nation's No. 1 Quarterback recruit officially makes history

With the 2025 college football season wrapped up, the last bow on top is the finalization of the recruiting rankings.

247Sports officially released its final rankings for the 2026 recruiting class on Monday, and sitting atop of the list was Houston Cougars quarterback signee Keisean Henderson. The Legacy the School of Sport Sciences product ranks as the highest-ranked recruit in program history, and also made history in the rankings as well.

As revealed by 247Sports' Andrew Ivins, Henderson became the first recruit in the site's history to begin his process as an athlete, and end up ranking as the No. 1 player and quarterback in the country.

"Never before has a prospect who was once graded out as an athlete finished as a five-star quarterback, let alone the top player in the class," wrote Ivins. "Henderson is a thrilling dual-threat talent with infectious energy that has a remarkable ceiling. He can gash defenses with his legs, but he wants to win from the pocket, and he made major strides as a passer during his senior year. Houston was the first school that recruited Henderson to be a quarterback, and he could have a type of impact on the program if it all comes together."

Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz. — Houston Cougars head coach Willie Fritz hoists the champions trophy. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Henderson chose the Cougars over around 40 other programs, posting an explosive senior season. He threw for a career-high 3,880 yards with 45 touchdowns to just six interceptions, completing 74.5% of his passes. He also showed the ability to make plays with his legs, rushing for 522 yards and 10 scores.

The reason that Henderson was listed as an athlete was due to the fact that he played wide receiver as a freshman, which saw him post 79 catches for 1,256 yards and touchdowns.

While he is still relatively new to being a full-time quarterback, he showed no signs of inexperience during the Navy All-American Bowl, as he was actually named MVP of the game.

He may have to wait his turn at Houston as the Cougars are set to return former five-star quarterback Conner Weigman, who led the team to a 10-3 season this past year. With that being said, if Weigman gets off to a slow start, fans will immediately call for Henderson to take over.

Assuming Houston can retain Henderson in the future, the program seems to be trending toward contending for Big 12 titles and the College Football Playoff under head coach Willie Fritz.